I know VSS is awful, I am just a cog in the great machine of life and have learned to live with feelings of powerlessness with the help of a therapist. However, I'd like to bring some order to the chaos here, and a real issue tracking/project management system like FogBugz that integrates with VSS would be a huge improvement. The problem with Fogbugz is cost: I'm never going to convince my department to spend a penny on this, and I'll have to champion whatever free solution I choose until I pass out in a puddle of tears.
So, what's out there that's free (as in beer), that integrates with VSS, that you've used, that you like (or at least only barely hate)?
Gemini works with VSS, and is excellent for bug/issue tracking. It's free for up to 5 users.